what do you expect from a trainer/ any horror stories??

The best trainer I ever had was in a riding school when I was 'between' horses. He taught me how to actually ride and train a horse, and get the best out of each individual horse and develop them as an athlete. The fizzy hot horses that bucked and tanked off with people, he taught me to ride relaxed and long on a loose rein. The old riding school ponies dead to the leg he taught me to ride with the lightest of aids. Those lessons on how to teach a horse and get it listening to me and working with me were much better than other lessons I have had on my own horses
 
Oops- hit send!!

A pro SJ'er who I got on with brilliantly, she really helped me over the 18 months and got me from hating SJ to enjoying it.

She used a trainer herself who came over from Cheshire, well known, builds a lot of bourses and trains a lot of eventers and I had a session booked with her- never again. She spent the majority of the session on the phone, then proceeded to warm up the next rider whilst virtually ignoring me....!

Jb x
 
snopuma said:
the lesson I learnt was the moment that you don't like the way someone is riding your horse regardless of who they are, tell them to get off then ****** off, do not sit there and let them berate your good horse!
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Ah yes, seconded, to the utmost. This is a lesson I learnt too, unfortunately, with a very famous trainer on board. My young horse had never ground his teeth before and did from that session onwards.

Tied to that - a really good trainer will of course push you, BUT they don't know your horse (unless they train you regularly) so don't EVER be afraid to speak up on your own behalf, not just that of your horse: "I'm really sorry, but that's not a good idea with this horse today because ___"

as TS said up there: "I've seen some very good people get it very wrong, but then get it very right with other people. I saw Lucinda Green - whom no one would doubt - cause someone to have a cracking fall years ago because she misjudged the horse. I'm sure that girl went away with a less than cheery feeling but I'm sure Lucinda learned from it. People seem to forget that instructors are learning, too, and their work is always progressing. That may be hard to swallow when you're paying money but good people will take what you say on board so it's always worth speaking up if you think someone might not "get" you or your horse."

LG very nearly got me seriously catapulted by my big WB after I'd asked to be excused 1 exercise and she insisted I do it. She'd built a 'skinny' from bits of SJs and it was perfectly jumpable but very weird-looking. I knew I could get him to jump it first time but I also knew he would seriously over-jump it, he was like that. She insisted, sure enough he jumped it as if it was a puissance wall with a dragon in it, and i only just stayed on. tbf she did say immediately "Ah, right, I see what you meant now, don't come again!"

Anyone can make a mistake, nobody's perfect even if they are incredibly experienced and a household name, but of course their misjudgement of your horse might cost you dear...

As TS also says, avoid trainers who seem to hate horses. Perhaps their frustration at not getting to where they thought they should comes out as nastiness to horses, I don't know, but they're out there, and should be avoided!
 
jellybaby2 said:
She used a trainer herself who came over from Cheshire, well known, builds a lot of bourses and trains a lot of eventers and I had a session booked with her- never again. She spent the majority of the session on the phone, then proceeded to warm up the next rider whilst virtually ignoring me....!

Jb x
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I have seen this happen with a couple of trainers/Instructors - they sit in the corner of the school, smoking fags, talking on their mobiles and shouting the odd instruction:o For what they charge I would expect them to at the very least get off their backsides and watch the lesson they are being paid handsomely to give - call me old fashioned.....:rolleyes: Needless to say I wouldn't have a lesson with them.

I think it is important to find some one who has style of teaching that suits you - round here to many instructors/trainers seem incapable of explaining the simplest aids and when in doubt shout 'Leg'. Their own track record is not necessarily a good indication of their ability as an Instructor. They need to be able to impart their knowledge in a way that not only makes sense to you and your horse but also in a way that actually makes a difference so you improve.

FWIW I would have no hesitation in stopping a lesson or not rebooking with an instructor that I didn't like. At the end of the day you are the customer and money talks - lessons are too expensive to be wasted and you can then spend so much more time and money putting it all right:o
 
I'm currently in the process of finding a new instructor, as I feel I'm now at the stage where I need to some proper instruction to actually improve my riding and really like the dressagey way of thinking.

I've had instructors who've sat there doing nothing, screamed and shouted at etc. But the one thing I can't stand isn't not being told things that matter. In PC we get an instructor in who's very high up in the various affiliated bodies and clubs. He'd tell you to do something, tell you you did x or y wrong but not tell you why it was wrong or how you should fix it. It drives me mad!

I want to learn, that's why I go to instructors. So I want an instructor who will actually teach me, not just get the results but involved the whole process - how to ride to get x or y, how the horse has to move for x to happen and etc.
I want to be able to take what ever I can from the lesson, so the method for doing things is important, I don't want to do anything fancy, I want to be more effective - an instructor who's obsessed with just say using mirrors is no good to me as all the riding I do is in fields or on hack - I think relevance is key, if the riding you're doing in your lesson doesn't relate to what you want to achieve or what you can actually do at home - then you're at nothing.
 
I have vero tolerance of taking on the phone while I am paying for their time , I am happy with ' I ' m teaching I ring you back' but not them having a chat.
I hate trainers who don't appear to have a passion for horses.
I just don't return to anyone who does not seem enaged with the process
I like to leave a lesson with a clear idea of what and how needs working on and it's always good if you leave the school and can't wait for the next one.
 
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